by Marja-Leena 
Wishing you all a Happy Halloween, Kekri or Samhain or whatever version of an ancient pagan ritual you may partake in this evening. If you prefer a spookier image than these jolly pumpkins, see this favourite of mine from a year ago! Watch all that sugar or you’ll rot your teeth, my lovelies!
by Marja-Leena 
I am gathering images of textured glass circles for possible use in some of my current print projects. This heavy glass base with holes is used in flower arranging. It had belonged to my mother who used it often as do I. I’ve never seen one like it anywhere else, it’s so much better than crumbly unnatural floral foam. And of course it made for a great image, don’t you think?
by Marja-Leena As I wrote recently, Korean artist Chang-Soo Kim has an exhibition of his large digital printworks at Capilano University’s Studio Art Gallery. It continues until Thursday, October 28th. A few days ago I had the opportunity to take a few installation photos including one of the artist.
The exhibition includes the artist’s work from the past ten years, I believe. He uses thousands of digital images of tiny faces to make the larger portraits. Over time, these smaller images seem to become more abstract, as seen in the bottom photo of a detail of one of his prints. Later, I note a move to the use of multiple vertical lines as we see in television images, and even later marks and ‘scratches’ that make me think of computer code as well as a suggestion of DNA marking, the details merging, as before, into larger images such as the hands and foot. To me, the artist investigates relationships of contemporary humanity and technology together in a most powerful, compelling and astounding way.
by Marja-Leena 
As some of you know, we visited Montreal last June and met in person long-time online friend Beth and her husband. I’ve been wanting to show this special and beautiful gift Beth gave me, a little sketchbook about 10 x 12 cm. (4″ x 4.75″) that she skillfully crafted. I treasure it and think of Beth every time I look at it. Today, better late than never, I did my first little sketch into it.
Inspired by an image I saw somewhere a few years ago of a prehistoric rock carving in Roughting Linn in Northumberland, UK, I’d done a quick pen doodle on scrap paper and later taped it into my larger working sketchbook/notebook. As I contemplated doing a series of rock art images in Beth’s book, I remembered that image. I used graphite aquarelle pencils, a black aquarelle stick and a damp little paintbrush – what fun!
by Marja-Leena 
What journeys has this old suitcase seen? What memories are held within?
It began in a suitcase factory in Finland… when? in the 1940’s? Who in the family bought it?
My own memory is unclear, I think it was given to me by one of my mother’s brothers in 1967. That year I’d spent a summer in Finland researching Finnish art history for my thesis. I had bought a lot of heavy second-hand art and history books in Helsinki as well as having many Finnish gifts that were given to me and or I’d bought so I really needed another suitcase. I seem to recall it was found in my grandparents’ attic on the farm, maybe it had been my mother’s. If so, why did it not come with us when we emigrated to Canada?
For many years the suitcase must have been stored in my parents’ home in Winnipeg for when they moved to Vancouver after retirement to live the winters with us, it came with their other belongings. After my parents had passed away and I was going through their things, I found it in the bottom of a closet, stuffed with extra linens like crisp white sheets with hand-crocheted trims in the old Finnish tradition.
Since then, it was stored empty in our somewhat musty crawl space along with other old suitcases that had seen better days. When our eldest daughter Anita went to Japan for half a year as an exchange student sometime in the early 90’s, I think, she borrowed this suitcase. Maybe she had it with her when she was later living and studying in Victoria. Then it spent many more years in storage again in said crawl space.
Last month, our ‘English’ daughter Elisa was once again needing an old to-be-discarded suitcase to take some of their belongings from here to their current home in London. Though this old faithful was looking sad, worn, and water-stained, she fell in love with it and its history. I quickly took some photos for posterity’s sake in case we’d never see it again. It’s now in England, used for storage again. Where will it travel to next?
by Marja-Leena 
As I seek something warm to drink and soothe me to sleep,
the lights of a ship anchored in the sea light my way to the kitchen,
I hope to dream of exotic voyages to romantic southern isles
but not the dark terrors of the night.
Added several hours later: I just remembered this much earlier post of a truly dream-like nightship.
by Marja-Leena 
This Bizarro cartoon is especially for Joe who just wrote about his new eBook reader. It’s also for blog friends Barrett and Hattie and other proud owners of eBook readers. The first time I saw and held one was when we met Barrett in London last year and he proudly showed us his brand new Sony Reader. I’ve had this now-yellowed clipping on our fridge for quite some time and was about to throw it away in a cleaning spree. I knew it was waiting for an opportunity to share smiles. Enjoy!
by Marja-Leena 
1. Congratulations to Mark Woods on Wood s Lot’s 10th anniversary of blogging marvelous excerpts and links to interesting and eclectic writings and art. I also enjoy his lovely photographs of areas in eastern Canada that have been gracing his pages in more recent years. A remarkable achievement in this day of waning blogs as many move to the more fast-paced life of Facebook and Twitter. (Can you tell I’m a proponent of the ‘slow life’?)
2. Congratulations to the award winners of BIMPE VI in Vancouver. After its opening exhibition at the Federation Gallery, a selection is now showing at Dundarave Print Shop. I recently saw a friend’s copy of the exhibition catalogue and it is beautiful. I was very pleased to see in it that all of my three submitted pieces were accepted. I can hardly wait for my own copy which will come with the return of the prints after they’ve been in Edmonton.
3. This is late: a print of mine was posted at Qarrstiluni. The current theme of The Crowd was impossible for me to resist as I’d done several prints by that title some years ago. Watch for another one to come later. I must say Qarrstiluni keeps on getting better and better thanks to the superb efforts of its editors Beth Adams and Dave Bonta and the many guest editors. I see that it just recently and quietly passed its fifth anniversary – another congratulations!
by Marja-Leena 
…too busy, too tired yet drawn to pause and enjoy the low autumn sun on the fading sedums
